Larger version of this map of Electoral Votes in 1800 located at Images of American History: Teaching Politics, published by William J. Ball. According to James Rogers Sharp:

"From December 1800 until late February 1801, when the election was finally decided in the House of Representatives, the country teetered at the brink of disintegration. The atmosphere was feverish with tension, fear, and confusion. Federalists and Republicans were willing to believe that their opponents were capable of virtually any actions, no matter how treacherous or violent, in order to gain or retain power. Rumors swept Washington, D.C., which had just become the nation's capital in June of 1800, and the various state capitals about Federalist plots to deny Jefferson the presidency by a usurpation of power or by throwing support to Burr. Talk was rife about militias arming, a possible civil war, and the breakup of the union. There were even reports that Jefferson would be assassinated."

American Politics in the Early Republic: The New Nation in Crisis (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993)